Graham

DDR

October 1, 2008 By Graham 3 Comments

Our topic in October is the DDR – the Deutsche Demokratische Republik.

The DDR (GDR in English) existed from 7th October 1949 until 2nd October 1990 and was created out of the Soviet occupation zone as a repsonse to the creation of the German Federal Republic several weeks earlier.

Today we talk about the creation and the economic and political systems that we set in place in the DDR and how the country was structured. We also talk our own personal experiences when visiting the country.

Find out more in the podcast

(Press the “play” button to listen to the podcast)

Download the MP3 file | Subscribe to the podcast

Filed Under: East Germany, German Words Explained, Podcasts Tagged With: DDR, East Germany, GDR

TestDaF

September 30, 2008 By Graham Leave a Comment

The TestDaf is a standardised test that allows learners of German to have their knowledge of the language assessed.

The assessment is given as a numerical value called the TDN – Test DaF Niveau. The TDN scale goes from 1 to 5.

Some organisations may require applicants to show proof of having taken a TestDaf test as opposed to other levels that we have talked about during this month.

To hear a simple explanation and a short discussion in German, listen to the podcast:

(Press the “play” button to listen to the podcast)

Download the MP3 file | Subscribe to the podcast

Filed Under: German Words Explained, Podcasts Tagged With: TDN, TestDaF

Autumn in the park

September 29, 2008 By Graham Leave a Comment

Autumn has arrived, and with it cold weather. The last week has been really cold, but at the weekend it warmed up enough to go out for a walk in the woods and visit the playground. It was strange to see that the trees are still green, and yet due to the cold weather they have lost a lot of them and the ground is covered with the brown leaves more typical of autumn.

Having settled into our new flat we are now trying to re-let the old one – not an easy task, especially as it is difficult to find a painter to come and decorate it first!